Chapter 76

The Duke, who had been watching me intently for some time, couldn’t hide his disappointment and took his hands away from me. He seemed to want to say more, but the duke hid his greed and withdrew.

And when he came across Lanoa, who was only a few steps away from me, he opened his arms wide.

“Come here, Lanoa!”

“Yikes! No way! I’m already so old, yet you want to hug me. It’s extremely embarrassing.”

Lanoa, who had escaped from the duke’s arms, was so aghast that his body shivered.

“Despite having a face that resembles my beloved wife, you have such a cheeky attitude. From where did you get your cheekiness?”

“Maybe from the embrace of your beloved wife?”

“You jerk!”

The mischievous Lanoa was eventually beaten by the Duke. Lanoa, who was hit hard on the back, twisted his body in pain saying it hurt.

He has now been beaten by me, then by Leonard and now the duke. He was basically like a family punching bag.

‘Everyone’s still the same.This family hasn’t changed a bit.’

Looking at the two people, I smiled happily. Despite his title of Iron Blooded Duke, the duke was a man who was warm and friendly to his family.

People who knew the Duke might be surprised seeing him like this, but it was a very natural routine for this family.

‘It’s a warm family.’

As I looked at the two of them happily, my gaze happened to meet the duke’s. When he saw my face, he looked at me mesmerized as if he had seen a ghost.

‘What happened? Is there something wrong?’

I couldn’t understand anything so I just blinked. Meanwhile, the Duke, who had abandoned Lanoa, approached me and took my hand.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile like that.”

Oh…

“When you smile, you look exactly like me.”

“Oh my, that’s not true. Rosetta, of course, resembles me.”

What? Has the Duchess also arrived? Can’t we just go inside and do this?

It was embarrassing to have the long family reunion right outside the door rather than the hall of the mansion. I looked at the Duchess’s face and found it extremely peaceful and calm.

‘So cute…’

Compared with Katzels’ traits of long, glamorous, and scary-looking face, Duchess had a pleasant and cute face. The Duke, who was holding my hand, dashed over to the Duchess and wrapped his arms around her shoulder.

“Wife, you’re not feeling well. You shouldn’t have come out.”

“Our troublemakers are finally here. So how could I not come out”

She grinned at us as she pulled her fluttering shawl over her shoulder.

“Come here.”

When the Duchess with a gentle smile opened her arms, Lanoa ran like a puppy and hugged her.

What the hell?! It was the first time I saw Lanoa acting so cutely. I had barely calmed down and my stomach churned again. I tried my best to control my nausea , but I couldn’t hide my distorted face.

“Rosetta.”

The Duchess opened her arms and asked me to come. After much consideration, I carefully hugged her back.

There was no big reason, but strangely, I felt like I shouldn’t refuse her. The duchess’s body flinched. She was surprised for a moment because she probably didn’t think I was going to hug her, and then she hugged me tightly.

The Duchess patted me affectionately on the back.

I felt strange. It felt warm and cozy, but every corner of my heart was strangely aching.

“When did you grow up so much…?”

The Duchess’s eyes seemed to burst into tears at any moment. At the sudden somber atmosphere, I awkwardly pulled the corners of my mouth. I thought I’d cover it up with a laugh. But it turned out to be the wrong choice.

The Duchess cried more at my awkward smile.

“Did you just smile at this mother?”

Wait, is that a point to cry?

While I was bewildered and at a loss for what to do, the duke approached us and held us in his arms. I was held against his big chest, and as I blinked, I felt a small vibration from above.

‘… Wait is the duke also crying?’

Trapped in the couple’s arms, I asked Lanoa for help, but he was not at all helpful. Before he could realize, Lanoa was also pulled into the hug by the duke. I glared at Lanoa.

‘Hey, what should we do?’

‘Just stay still. If we try to escape, they will ask if we hate it and then cry more.’

So, Lanoa and I shared a very uncomfortable hug for quite some time.

*  *  *

After the tearful welcoming ceremony, I threw my haggard body onto the bed.

Under the Duke and Duchess fierce love attack, I didn’t know whether I swallowed meat from my mouth or my nose.

“I feel bloated.”

Instead of looking for digestive medicine, I put back on the bracelet I had taken off while washing. There was a faint glow from the marble indicating that it was still effective.

“Thank God, I can still use it.”

I patted my swollen stomach and stared blankly at the ceiling. The duke and duchess’s crying faces flashed through my mind one after the other. The image of the couple smiling at me with their eyes red like rabbits lingered in my mind. It remained as an afterimage and followed me even when I closed my eyes.